If you are looking for a great family camping experience in Big Sur, the Big Sur Campground and Cabins is a special place for any type of camper. In addition to traditional RV and tent camping, The 11-acre site also has multiple cabins options, which include camp cabins, A-frame cabins, and little houses. That said, it’s the most expensive campground we’ve ever stayed at. And it’s hard to swallow the price with cheaper options nearby.
See The Full Detailed Video Below
Big Sur Campground Visiting Information
- Website:
- Address:
- 47000 Highway 1, Big Sur, CA 93920
- Phone:
- 831-667-2322
- Email:
- Dates & Hours:
- Office hours: 8 am – 6 pm
- Price/Cost:
- $75-365/night for tent sites, RV sites, camping cabins or cabins.
- Discounts:
- They have seasonal saving specials that can be found here: https://www.bigsurcamp.com/special-offers
- How much we spent during our visit:
- $198
- $194 for a one night stay at site 79
- $4 for one load of laundry
- $198
- Parking:
- One vehicle is included. A second vehicle is $15/night. Call to verify before booking.
- Activities:
- Swimming or tubing in the river
- Jump into the swimming hole
- Catch crawfish
- Playground for kids
- Basketball
- Volleyball
- Time spent:
- Stayed for one night.
- Check-in and Check-out times:
- Check-in is at 12 pm for campsites and 3 pm for cabins and camping cabins
- Check-out is at 11 am.
- Booking/reservations:
- You can make reservations a year in advance.
- Best camping spots:
- If we go again, we plan to book a site closer to the river. You can view the map here: https://www.bigsurcamp.com/campground-map
- Where we ate:
- Big Sur River Inn (46800 CA-1, Big Sur, CA 93920) – 0.3 miles away – Order take out and get your feet wet while you enjoy your meal on their wooden chairs right in the river.
- Nepenthe Restaurant (48510 CA-1, Big Sur, CA 93920) – 4.8 miles away – It has gorgeous ocean views.
- Pet allowed:
- Yes, except in cabins. It’s an additional charge of $5/night.
- Stroller friendly:
- Yes
- Restrooms:
- Yes, flushable toilets.
- Showers:
- Yes, free showers.
- Laundry:
- Yes, onsite coin laundry facility. They do ask that you purchase their eco-friendly detergent.
- Washer: $2 per wash
- Dryer: $0.25 for 5 mins.
- Detergent: $0.50
- Yes, onsite coin laundry facility. They do ask that you purchase their eco-friendly detergent.
Extra info
- What we observed:
- This is a great place to be with a big group of friends or family. They have different types of accommodations to fit each family’s needs. We recommend booking early so you can get sites close to each other.
- For us, this place was so nice, relaxing and fun that we didn’t leave the campground to get food or adventure out.
- There is no WiFi and there is very limited cell phone service in the area. If you are in need of WiFi, there is the Big Sur Library (Highway 1 at Ripplewood Resort, Big Sur, CA 93920) 0.5 miles away and you can get internet access at any time.
- The $25 amenities fee includes 1 bundle of wood, 1 bag of ice, 2 mugs to keep, 1 flashlight to keep and complimentary use of inner tubes.
- A small camp store on site that carries snacks, beverages, camping supplies, firewood and ice.
- Quiet time is from 10 pm to 8 am.
- Lot of families brought scooters, bikes and outdoor games.
- The campground is shaded well from the redwood trees. We recommend bringing warmer clothes as it gets chilly once the sun sets.
things to bring
- Clothing:
- Check the weather before you go. The weather can be changeable; layered clothing is recommended.
- What we packed:
- @larocheposayusa sunblock, @okeeffescompany lip sunscreen, @suds2go cap, @intexrecreationcorp inflatable boat (we recommend something with a bottom so the kids don’t get scraped from the rocks), air pump, large fish net to catch the crawfish and swimwear.
- You can get the links to all our travel essentials here: https://www.califoreigners.com/travel-essentials/
- Other places to visit in the county:
Our Pacific Coast highway Big Sur Itinerary:
- Our itinerary up the coast:
- Camped at Plaskett Creek Campground.
- Sand Dollar Beach – best to go during low tide.
- Camped at Kirk Creek Campground.
- Gamboa Point – quick stop for a gorgeous view point.
- McWay Falls Trail – Short and easy hike to the falls.
- Partington Cove Trail – Another great hike for the kids.
- Nepenthe Restaurant – Stop for coffee or dine with a beautiful view.
- Ventana campground – Wasn’t able to stay here because they do not accommodate camper vans.
- Pfeiffer Beach – you can find small pockets of purple sand. We were too nervous to take our camper van in so we had to skip this stop.
- Pfeiffer Falls Trail – 1.8 mile hike through redwoods trees to the falls.
- Camped at Fernwood Campground – You can also purchase a day use pass to access the river if you aren’t staying at their campground.
- Fernwood General Store – make a quick stop for Lappert’s ice cream.
- Camped at Big Sur Campground and Cabins – swim and tube in the river.
- Big Sur River Inn – Order take out, eat, and get your feet wet on their wooden chairs right in the river.
- Bixby Creek Bridge – The parking lot was full so we had to skip this stop.
- Garrapata Bluff Trail – A nice short hike with the kids.
- Camped at Carmel by the River RV Park.
- Monterey Bay Aquarium.
- Pls pack in, pack out and leave no trace.
- Follow us on Instagram @thecaliforeigners, Youtube @Califoreigners, TikTok @Califoreigners
What We Said In Our Big Sur Campground Video
Open since 1953; it’s a high-quality Campground with a great family-friendly vibe. Right when you roll up to the check-in booth, you can see kids running around all over the place. The 100ish sites aren’t that private, but they have plenty of shade under redwoods that keep the grounds cool throughout the day.
Outside your campsite, the campground’s main attraction is its access to the Big Sur River. Tubes rentals are included in your amenities fee, so borrow some near the general store. but the river does have some shallow spots, so you’ll need to keep your butt up to prevent beating it up on the river rocks. But a major plus to the river is its swimming hole that’s deep enough to swim in with a rope swing you can use to prove to the kids that you’re still cool and fun jump off into the deepest part of the swimming hole from a 10 to 15-foot cliff.
If getting into the water’s not your thing, you can try your hands at catching crayfish. These freshwater crustaceans are a lot of fun to find a capture. You may not think there around but expect them to hide under rocks in lower flow water areas. You don’t need much to catch them, just some meat and a net. We used extra ham on our kids’ training hooks. Once the crayfish grabbed the meat, we pulled them into the net, and that’s that. It’s seriously a lot of fun finding these little river lobsters.
Other Non River Activities
Outside the water activities, campers have access to a nice playground for the kids to climb and work off some energy and a basketball court to shoot around and play.
Big Sur Campgrounds has well-maintained onsite showers. They get nice and hot with excellent water pressure. Even with all the guests, it wasn’t hard to walk into showers when we were done for the evening. There isn’t anything better than going to bed clean after a full day enjoying the outdoors.
Other Things To Do In Big Sur
While we only stayed a day, it’s easy to see why Big Sur Campgrounds is so well-reviewed. It’s a great higher-end campground with a lot to enjoy. In addition to this campground, we stayed at four other campgrounds during our week in Big Sur, and we’ll be sure to link them here.
Soberanes Point Trail In Garrapata State Park With Kids (YouTube)
So until next week, we’ll see you around California with kids.
Leave a Reply